


Sugar

by pandatowrites



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Eren and Levi are growing up together, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life, family life, mikasa is the baby sister, the ackermans and the jaegers are really close, the hero of the lil ones, zeke is the big bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-14 06:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16908144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandatowrites/pseuds/pandatowrites
Summary: Sometimes water is as thick as blood.A collection of memories from Eren and Levi's life together.





	1. Summer '03

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! Welcome to this work!!
> 
> This is the first (probably) 100% fluffy work, SURPRISE!! SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN ANGST OR ANGST & SAPPY LOVE!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this <3
> 
> Quick info no1: The title says when the scene takes place! The most common will be "[season] [year]"; 
> 
> Quick info no2: Short chapters, many chapters (hopefully),, but i'm a slowpoke so please forgive me ;;
> 
> Quick info no3: Birthdays! (DD/MM/YY) Zeke: 01/08/94; Levi: 25/12/99; Eren: 30/03/00; Mikasa: 10/02/02
> 
> There's also a spotify playlist for this work, so in case you want to listen to songs fitting this story, you can give it a try!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/pandatoxx/playlist/2X1ipwhCNuUn90IiYJpf2p?si=CtO5yHxCSqCcaMI5MJa_4g

 

»Say ›Cheeeeeeese!‹«

 

Eren looked straight in the camera, smiling with his three front teeth while his eyes became narrow thanks to his cheekies.

In the meantime Levi stared at Zeke, who sat next to Carla and let the little boy's favourite cuddly animal dance on the grassland in order to make him smile. His mission succeeded.

 

The light was perfect for a little photoshoot; Kenny hunkered down next to the little, inflatable pool and started to make soap bubbles with water and dish soap. After all, the 'kiddos' should be happy.

 

However, the camera took a picture of the boys with a flash - Carla forgot to turn it off -, which frightened Levi and eventually made him cry, letting big crocodile tears roll down his porcelain face.

With short arms reaching out for his mother and little sobs also alarming her, he was picked up by Kuchel and pressed to her chest, wetting her entire shirt with the tap water dripping from his legs.

»Ssssh... There, there... Everything is alright, Sweetie Pie...«, she tried to calm her so down with an angelic voice.

 

Eren observed Levi for a short while with mouth agape before he suddenly started to cry, too. Zeke crawled closer to his brother and embraced his small frame. »Hey, hey, don't cry... Your big bro is right here.«

The second the raven-haired boy stopped wailing, Eren's tears stopped falling.

 

»Uff, at least the photograph turned out great«, Grisha mumbled after viewing the screen when Carla pulled her sunglasses down and holding the camera up.

 

Kenny stood up and took his nephew from Kuchel, after the little paddies reached for him of course, letting Levi sit on his hip. »Oh, so there is a time when you wanna be held by your uncle, eh?«

The toddler nodded and started to touch Kenny's face, pulling on his facial hair and staring at it with wide eyes.

»What's the deal with ya? Don'tcha like my beard?«

Levi shook his head and said »Kenny«, nothing more. He was very taciturn for his age.

But he let his hands speak when he punched his uncle's nose, earning an obviously fake »Pow, right in the kisser« to please the now grinning child.

»You're an Ackerman, that's for sure.«

 

But when Levi began to whine, wanting to be with Eren in the pool again, Kenny sat him softly on the ground and watched him crawl back into the pool to his early childhood friend.

Zeke held Eren's hands and made grimaces; his baby brother's laughs ringed out.

 

So Levi became jealous, pulled on Zeke's sleeve and stretched his little hands out for him.

»Oh, you too?«

The blonde boy was a hero in their eyes; after all, he was already 8 years old and with that a big boy.

 

Kuchel watched the scene while rubbing her belly. If everything will happen according to her plan, she would be able to gift her family with yet another child and let her son have another sibling in February.

Admittedly, there was no man in her life anymore, but that didn't mean that she couldn't raise 3 kids alone. There were lots of single moms.

Furthermore, she was blessed with a big family and every member lived in the same street; namely Rose Street, in the 3rd and 4th house.

 

Carla placed a hat on Eren's head, before her husband and Kenny put some sun creme on the toddlers' skins again.

 

Meanwhile Zeke brought them their toys, including little ships and several squeaky ducks.

That way, the children had their fun and the adults' hearts melted watching them and their genuine joy.

Kuchel couldn't stop examining her little boy in his new light blue bathers with a yellow duck print, wearing these little sun glasses with a sunflower print on the frame.

He was pure sugar.

 

»Dad? Can I please go inside? It's so hot and sunny, and, you know, we bought this game,  _ ›Tomb Raider - The Angel of Darkness‹ _ last week... it waits for me to play it!« Zeke had a crush on Lara Croft, but honestly, _who didn't_?

 

Grisha stared at his boy, considering it. »Okay, but only if you don't forget drinking water while playing. And don't turn the volume up; Mikasa should be asleep at this time.«

 

Eren splashed around in the pool, loved the water and appeared to be extremely happy.

His duck would sometimes collide with one of Levi's ships, while they were making ›Quak‹ and ›Chhhu‹ sounds, imitating their toys.

 

It was most certainly the most perfect day of that year's summer.

 

After a while, Zeke came back outside with Mikasa in his arms; she sucked at her soother and her eyes told how calm and cheerful she was despite being utterly tired.

In contrast to Levi, she was a very quiet child that didn't need too much attention.

»She wanted to leave the crib, so I thought it was time to let her run wild.«

 

Kenny took his niece from Zeke and noticed her pink baby dress, a gift from Carla.

She and Kuchel were secretly happy about Mikasa being a girl; enabling them to give her all their dresses from their own toddler days. They also planned on gifting her their fancy clothing from the 80s and 90s when she would become a young lady.

 

»You wanna go to your brother?», Mikasa's uncle asked her, while she watched Eren and Levi play in the water before stretching her arms out in their direction and making a sound  that should express her wish to play with them - »Gaaah!«

 

Thereupon Kuchel unpacked an innovation - swimming diapers - before changing her daughter's nappies to ›splashers‹ and sitting her to her brother and Eren in pool.

 

Yet again, Carla took a photo of the little scene, but not before Zeke crouched down next to the pool again to entertain the toddlers, neglecting Lara Croft to get splashed with water by his baby brother Eren.

 

Mikasa just sat on her bum, studying the other three until she suddenly grasped Zeke's arm only to start a wobbly attempt to stand up and finally fail.

But she didn't mind as she started to splash with water like her brother, her hero.


	2. Spring '04

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update!!  
> Better post next chapter before they realize you take forever!!

If it had been a photograph, Kuchel would have laughed for sure and remembered when the memory had happened, but because this moment had in fact not been a picture yet as it just happened in front of her eyes, she didn't feel like laughing at all.

 

Her brother was leaving the driveway with her 4-year-old son on his motorbike.

 

»Kenny!«, she screamed furiously after him in order to get him to stop and come back; however her calling wasn't heard by the 33-year-old man due to the engine noise of the bike.

 

But there was one relief: Eren was sitting in a car tire, looking mildly terrified. When his eyes caught Kuchel's, he stood up, walked over to her and gulped heavily. »I was afraid of driving the motorbye- motorbike«, he admitted and grabbed her hand, pulling her softly down on eye-level.

The raven-haired woman caressed Eren's hand and embraced him. »It's alright, sweetie. It's too dangerous for you, you're just a titch.«

 

She had to trust her brother, after all he adored his little nephew.

Still didn't protect Kenny from her giving him a major bollocking.

 

»Do you wanna snack on something? Or eat a popsicle until Levi's back? Mikasa plays with her ball, you can join her, too?«, she suggested.

Eren agreed with a toothy grin before rushing inside and being followed by Kuchel. He sat down next to Mikasa who enjoyed herself by rolling a red ball around and beating it like a drum.

Her mother took out an ice pop from the freezer and gave it to the little boy who started to happily eat it while playing with Mikasa.

 

After that she thought of a long, long and especially serious monologue for Kenny to listen to carefully.

 

But Kenny couldn't care less in this moment because he had fun driving around with Levi. To secure him, he had strapped the boy to his upper body with a mere leather belt.

»Still fresh down there?«, he asked his nephew who clawed at Kenny's clothing with wide eyes, although he seemed to be pretty cool.

Levi was probably as fascinated as scared.

 

»Faster«, he demanded at some point quietly, too quiet to be heard, so he repeated himself but more loudly this time.

Of course, Kenny fulfilled his wish and sped up to 25 mph.

 

Uncle and nephew enjoyed their time together. It was nothing new, but normally Kuchel would watch her brother.

It wasn't that he was he bad man. But what made Kuchel's fingertips tremble was the fact that Kenny had no idea how to parent.

He tried his best, really. Yet he crossed the line when he had shown some knife tricks to Levi, for 'self-defense'.

Did 4-year-olds really need self-defense?

 

After they finally arrived half an hour later at their destination - home -, Kenny parked his motorbike in the garage, freed Levi from the belt and took off both of their helmets. »The next time when your mom isn't home, i'mma show ya some more knife tricks, kid.«

There was one important thing Kenny had totally forgot about. 

Kuchel was home. Currently.

And she was equipped with a wooden rolling pin.

Additionally she was, to put it mildly, extremely furious.

 

»Kenny«, she growled while gripping tightly onto the rolling pin.

»Hey, I used a belt to tie him on me. He's fine.«

»A _belt_!?«

Instead of reassuring his sister, Kenny only made it worse; he basically adding fuel to the flames.

»We only drove as fast as 25 mph. Your boy is fine, Kuchel. He's alive and well.« Before there was a chance to be interrupted by Kuchel, he continued talking, »And we only drove around the blocks.«

 

Yet Levi was as innocent and candid as a child could be. »But we drove by the Church's farm!«, he exclaimed with a confused undertone.

That was the moment Kenny realized that his nephew was too pure for his uncle's good.

And also the moment he had to flee and think of an excuse or reasoning, or else he would have to call an ambulance due to a severe case of having a foreign body in the rectal region.

 

Levi entered the house, wandered through the halls and rooms until he found Eren and Mikasa playing with stuffed animals on the ground in the living room.

Immediately he joined his best friend, grabbed his own plushie, a yellow duck, and hugged it tightly.

 

»Roar!«, Eren imitated, drew closer to Mikasa's plushie, a baby seal with big eyes, with his cuddly lion. »Roar!!«

Mikasa stared blankly at the lion before hitting it with her seal. »Seal!«, she repeated over and over, mouth agape when she paused between the words, until the big grey eyes noticed Levi's duck. »Duck!«, Mikasa babbled and stretched out her arms to get the yellow cuddly toy.

No matter how hard she tried, how far she stretched her chubby arms, Mikasa couldn't reach the object of desire as her brother clutched onto it for dear life. She started to wail before screaming and crying loudly, which caused her mother to stop chasing Kenny with the rolling pin.

 

Kuchel picked her daughter up, kissed her forehead and embraced her lovingly. »Sssh, angel, everything is fine...«

»Mommy«, the little girl sobbed and pointed to the plushy duck in her brother's arms.

The woman sighed, kneeling down to her son, and stroked his black hair. »Levi, sweetie, we all need to share, alright? Your sister lets you play with her toys, too, doesn't she?«

 

Levi's mind wasn't changable and so he kept his duck right where it was, while Eren continued playing with his lion plushie who fought against a tiger.

  
  
  


But being the big brother he was, he sneaked into his sister's room at night, placed his cuddly duck in her crib and left the room to let her sleep with his plushie in her arms.

  
  
  


And as Kenny was a big brother himself, he entered Kuchel's room to wish her a good night in the evening, too.

 

»So, Kenny Ackerman... What do you have to say for yourself?«

As soon as he heard his full name being spoken, he knew he was up shit creek without a paddle.

And when he noticed his beloved cowboy hat in Kuchel's hand, pearls of sweat crawled down his temples.


	3. Winter '04

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Chapter!! Originally I had planned to post this on Levi's Bday but WHO GOT TIME

_» **[A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3fSknbR7Y4)** nd in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy _

_Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime«_

 

Grisha sat on the armchair with his new camcorder and zoomed in on his son who was currently occupied with opening his first present.

 

It was a pretty woolen sweater; the only problem there was was the colour, a bloody red.

Eren's favourite colour was bright blue.

»Nonsense!«, he called his gift after realizing what it was. Everything that wasn't a toy was ›nonsense‹ in his eyes. The boy asked Santa for something to play with and not for some stupid pieces of clothing.

 

So Eren moved on to the next box in which he found a new set of bedclothes. Winnie Pooh and his friends were smiling at him, the round bear was eating honey, yet Eren threw his gift behind him without looking. »Nonsense!«, he repeated angrily and thought about writing Santa a letter, calling him a naughty man for not getting him any of the toys he had been waiting for all year.

 

Levi, who quietly sat down next to Zeke while hugging his plush Pikachu tightly yet with care, looked over to his own presents, the ones he got from Santa and his family. He turned 5 that day so of course he received one present more than any of the other children did. Additionally, he had been a good boy.

One of the gifts had also been a set of bedclothes, however it wasn't Winnie Pooh who was depicted on it. Tom & Jerry were on it, Tom holding a mouse trap with cheese while Jerry had a hammer, ready to slam down on his enemy's tail.

 

Levi wondered if this present would be considered ›nonsense‹ as well, which was why he glanced over to his mother, but Kuchel studied Eren's disappointed, angry look and sighed deeply.

She had hoped the soft material to cover his matress, pillow and blanket would bring joy the boy. Nope.

Therefore Eren was all the more happier when his last present turned out not to be ›nonsense‹.

He ripped the colourful paper in small pieces and his green eyes grew big when he recognized what it could be.

»WOAH!«, he exclaimed thoroughly impressed when his small hands held the package of a Game Boy Advance.

It had been Zeke's before and since he didn't use it that often and had noticed his brother's interested eyes, he decided to give him his console along with several games.

 

The two families had put aside some money to buy their children another gift which would hopefully be used together: Nintendo's Gamecube.

 

Kenny felt something- no, someone tugging on his pants so he looked down to see Mikasa there, stretching her arms out to Kenny. »Potty«, she said quietly yet alarmed, but it was an order.

Carla lifted Mikasa up, held her in her arms. »I'll bring you there, sweetie. Do you want someone to come along?«

The little girl seemed to consider the suggestion for a short while before negating the question and shaking her head.

Just a week ago she needed someone to be there with her because she feared that she couldn't do it without her mother, her brother or her uncle.

However, Mikasa wanted to be adult, to be like her brother, so she decided that it was time to do it alone.

She let herself be carried to the bathroom by Carla who waited outside, just in case the almost 2 years old required help.

 

When they returned and entered the living room, Grisha handed his camcorder to Kenny and stood up. He  bend over the sofa's back and a bigger box appeared in between his hands, when he turned around.

Eren and Levi squirmed in their seats when Grisha said the following words: »Merry Christmas, you both! Santa brought another present for you. Open it up!«

Nothing could have stopped them from leaving behind their spot as they dashed forward to the wrapped up box. When they saw the GameCube, their happiness knew no limits.

 

-x-

 

After finishing breakfast, Grisha installed the GameCube in the living room because his younger son didn't stop whining about finally wanting to play with Levi.

 

Carla and Kuchel washed the dishes, talking about topic Kenny would label as 'women's stuff' (»You don't need to wash the socks with hot water, like 40°C and some disinfectant is enough«) which was why he went outside in the garden to smoke. He wasn't allowed to lit a cigarette inside or anywhere near the children because the two mothers wouldn't show mercy. Not only because Kuchel had stopped smoking when she found out she was pregnant with Levi (»Why are you throwing away our cigarettes!?« - »Don't want to harm my baby.«), but also because cancer ain't a game.

And while smoking, he fiddled around with a thick piece of wood and started to carve a figure with his knife.

 

Zeke, who recently had begun to wear glasses and finally got rid of the mullet at the back of his head, observed the man and sat down next to him on the cold bench they had placed on their patio. »Would you please show how to do carved animals, Kenny? Puh-lease?«

He got a deep laugh as an answer at first. »If ya Mom finds out 'bout this, I'll be shortened about a head's size. So yeah, of course.«

A bit frightened by that statement, Zeke blinked and frowned. »Mom wouldn't react that way, would she?«

»Well, I fear my baby sister more than I fear ya mother, so I'm good with that reaction. Ya father is a man, too, so he won't mind me showing ya stuff like this.«

For some reason that made sense in Zeke's head.

»Also, Zeke, I wouldn't mind if Kuchel cut me short, after all, that way it would be easier to look up a flame's skir-«, Kenny continued with a smooth grin, but was interrupted by a warning harumph coming from the direction of the glass sliding door.

 

That was enough to make this (formerly) fearsome man think about his plan again.

»Y'know what, kiddo, I'mma show this to ya another time«, Kenny settled quietly so none of the women could hear him. »Go inside, don't watcha to catch a cold.«

 

Levi was sitting on the Jaeger's expensive leather sofa and Mikasa's eyes were heavy as she fought against sleep, always sitting up straight when she realized she had been snoozing a second ago. Her brothers warm arms held her securely so she wouldn't fall over.

He had been waiting for an additional sibling for months now, but the stork who brought the children to their mothers had not shown up so far.

 

Often Levi would ask his mother about it, but she had always ignored the question until one day she finally told him that the stork had brought his sibling to another family who had longed for a baby much more than she, Kenny and Levi did.

 

That was unimaginable! How could a stork just decide where to bring the baby! What a rude bird!

He already loved Mikasa so much, how could another family love a child they didn't even know more than that? Impossible!

 

And yeah, Mikasa could really be annoying sometimes.

So he kind of did understand it after all.

Often she would cry out loud in the middle of the night, causing him to wake up.

And she always took his toys without asking! At least she didn't drool over it anymore.

 

That was when Levi realized that his little sister was enough (of a burden).

Additionally, Zeke and Eren were there, too.

 

Speaking of Eren, he took Mikasa’s little hands in his own and let her dance around on Levi's lap. She only stared at him indifferently with sleepy eyes.

Both boys wore matching onesies and the scene was _so cute_ , making Carla unable to not capture it in a photograph which was glued into the photo album shortly after.

 

The woman smiled softly when she flipped through the pages and found the picture of Kuchel and her on their last day of high school, both 17 years old.

»Then, we were bodacious«, she sighed, taking a trip down memory lane when her husband wrapped his arms around her waist lovingly from behind.

»Then? When was the last time you saw yourself? It's hard to resist you today, too, honey.«

Carla giggled sweetly, holding a hand in front of her mouth while her cheeks coloured themselves in a rosy pink. »Oh, stop it you!«, she whispered.

»Only if I get a kiss from my lady.«

Grisha received what he craved, a big smooch.

 

»Papa! Stop kissing Mama!«, Eren exclaimed in horror and Levi made a funny face.

Ew, _l_ _ove_. Both of them had not reached the age to care about girls.

»You promised to install the GameCube for us!«, the brunet boy continued and Grisha sighed, but got back to work with a joyful smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas (if you celebrate it)!!  
> I wish y'all a great end of 2018, a good time with loved ones on New Year's Day and an amazing 2019!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!!  
> If you notice any mistakes, just tell me!! I'd love to improve my writing skill as well as my English,,


End file.
